Horacio Cartes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Horacio Cartes
Cartes in 2023
President of the Colorado Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 January 2023
Leader	Mario Abdo Benítez (Jan–Aug 2023) Santiago Peña (Aug 2023–present)
Preceded by	Pedro Alliana
50th President of Paraguay
In office 15 August 2013 – 15 August 2018
Vice President	Juan Afara (Aug 2013–Apr 2018) None (Apr–May 2018) Alicia Pucheta (May–Aug 2018)
Preceded by	Federico Franco
Succeeded by	Mario Abdo Benítez
Personal details
Born	Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara (1956-07-05) 5 July 1956 (age 68) Asunción, Paraguay
Political party	Colorado (since 2009)
Spouse	María Montaña (divorced)
Children	3
Signature

Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara was born on 5 July 1956. He is a Paraguayan politician and businessman. He is currently the president of the Colorado Party since 2023. Before this, he served as the President of Paraguay from 2013 to 2018.

Cartes owned many businesses in his company group called Grupo Cartes. These businesses included making tobacco products, soft drinks, and even banking. He was also the president of the Club Libertad football (soccer) club from 2001 to 2012. He also led the national football team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. In 2021, it was reported that he was one of the richest people in Paraguay.

Cartes's Business Journey

Horacio Cartes's father owned a company that dealt with Cessna aircraft. Young Horacio studied how to fix airplanes in the United States. When he was 19, he started a business that exchanged different types of money. This business grew and became a bank called Banco Amambay.

Over the years, Cartes bought or helped start 25 different companies. These included Tabesa, which is Paraguay's largest cigarette maker. He also owned a big company that bottled fruit juice.

Starting in Politics

Before 2008, Horacio Cartes was not involved in politics. He wasn't even registered to vote. In 2009, he joined the conservative Colorado Party. He said he wanted to help balance the political changes happening in Latin America. He became known as a skilled politician. People saw him as someone who was not linked to the past military government.

Becoming President of Paraguay

Ceremony of “Distinguished Guest” for Cartes in Mexico in August 2016.

The 2013 Election

Horacio Cartes was the candidate for the Colorado Party in the 2013 presidential election. During his campaign, he promised to bring in private money to improve Paraguay's roads and buildings. He also promised to make government companies more modern and attract international businesses. His goal was to create more jobs for people.

On 21 April 2013, he was elected President of Paraguay. He won with about 45.80% of the votes. When he officially became president on 15 August, it was a special moment. It was only the second time in Paraguay's 202 years of independence that one ruling party peacefully handed over power to another.

Cartes defended the legal process that removed the previous president, Fernando Lugo. He said Paraguay should stay in Mercosur, which is a group of South American countries that work together on trade. He believed it brought economic benefits and helped with free trade.

He took his oath of office on August 15, 2013. In his first speech, he declared a "war on poverty" in Paraguay. Many leaders from other countries attended his inauguration. These included presidents from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, and Taiwan.

Choosing His Cabinet

In August 2013, after becoming president, Cartes announced the people who would be in his cabinet. These are like his main team of ministers. He mostly chose experts for these important jobs.

Focus on Education

In 2015, many students in Paraguay held large protests. They wanted better quality education. They asked for more money to be spent on education, aiming for 7% of the country's total economic output (GDP). This was a goal suggested by UNESCO. At that time, Paraguay spent only 3.9% of its GDP on education, which was one of the lowest amounts in the region.

International Relations

Cartes met with President of Argentina Mauricio Macri in Casa Rosada in September 2016.

Cortes with President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff

On May 21, 2018, the Paraguayan embassy moved to Jerusalem. This made Paraguay the third country to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's diplomatic capital. However, Cartes's successor, Mario Abdo Benítez, changed this decision on September 5, 2018.

Attempt to Run Again

The current constitution says that a president can only serve one five-year term. In late 2016 and early 2017, Cartes and his supporters in Congress tried to change the constitution. They wanted to allow the president to run for re-election. Many people who disagreed with this called it "a coup."

On March 31, 2017, protests started. This happened after supporters of the change voted for it in a private meeting, not in the main Senate hall. During these protests, some demonstrators set fire to the Congress building. Several people were hurt, and one protester died. On April 17, Cartes announced that he would not seek a second term, even if the change passed. On April 26, the Chamber of Deputies rejected the idea of allowing presidential re-election.

Trying to Resign

In the 2018 Paraguayan general election, Cartes ran for a seat in the Senate while still president. He was elected. New Senators were to start their terms on June 30, 2018. This was six weeks before Cartes's presidential term was supposed to end. The constitution says that officials cannot hold two jobs at the same time.

So, on May 28, 2018, Cartes offered to resign as President. This resignation needed to be approved by Congress. However, many lawmakers did not want Cartes to resign and take the Senate seat. They said it was against the constitution. The opposition parties, and even some members of Cartes's own party, stopped the vote from happening. This meant there weren't enough people present to vote on his resignation. On June 26, 2018, Cartes decided not to resign and become a senator. He did not have enough political support for his plan.

Changes to Cartes's Businesses

On January 26, 2023, the United States announced some actions against Cartes. These actions meant he could not do business with U.S. companies or use U.S. banks. Several companies linked to Cartes were also stopped from using the U.S. financial system.

On March 24, 2023, Cartes announced that he was leaving the Grupo Cartes company group. He said he hoped his separation would help protect the jobs of the workers in the group. Later, Grupo Cartes announced that Cartes's sister, Sarah, was also leaving the company. They also said that the Grupo Cartes brand itself would no longer be used.

Awards and Recognitions

•  Taiwan: Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon (October 2014)
•  Chile: Collar of the Order of Merit (2016)
•  Brazil: Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross (17 February 2017)
•  Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (10 May 2017)

Images for kids

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  Horacio Cartes's signature.

See also

In Spanish: Horacio Cartes para niños